Category Archives: teenagers

First up thank you for all your wonderful comments 🙂 Made me feel great and I know it did the same to Chris! He’s happy at AUT and loves the cool central city location of his campus!

Cant believe it- almost a month since I last posted. Time just speeds by at the moment. Scary scary how fast… But then maybe that’s good because I am thoroughly sick of winter, rain and rain storms. Bring it on Spring!
Am too busy working, very full on 😦 I am exhausted and soo tired. Maybe I could curl up and have a winter’s sleep like a bear ;p Still doing heaps of extra work – will I ever learn to say NO thanks? The sick coworker, still not back yet…
Another cold and thanks to this yucky non stop rain Chris’s sleep out and our storage area flooded… Wah as if I am not busy enough as it is.
But there were some highlights too.
We had a fantastic trip to see the Maori TV Studios. What a bunch of lovely people, superfriendly! It was amazing to see everything! They are open to visits from the public, check the website for details.

Oh the gorgeous kit from Paperpesto was such a joy to work with! A total highlight for me, loved the stamps, the papers, embellies, the lot! Too bad it’s already sold out.
Check out the PaperPesto blog to see my fellow DT Ann’s cool work!

And here are some sneakies from me.

Oh almost forgot, the last entry to ScrapTheTeenz – theme was Today you – I scrapped about a typical weekend day at work( New Worlds ) for Chris.

I hope to catch up with your blogs over the week. Miss not knowing what’s going on… But our internet is as turbulent as the rain at the moment… And I have to admit I used some rather foul language when the internet disappeared for the 10+ time in a row. That or I give up, for sanity’s sake ;p
Hope this finds you all are well and save! Thanks for listening to my whining ;p and for looking 🙂
xx Ilka

Bragalert!!!Time for me to brag big time!!! I am so so proud of Christopher!!!
For those that dont know, he forced our hand a few years ago when he decided not to stay at school. He was 16 1/2 when he left before even gaining university entry levels. He was too bored and unmotivated in school… We worked out that he could go to MIT (Manaukau Institute of Technology) and study computer stuff there. He started with a 1/2 year of Computer Foundation Course and just finished his 2 years and now has a Lvl 4 and Lvl 5 Diploma in Information and Communication Technology. Not bad at all for an 18 year old! I am so very proud and also quite relieved how things turned out for him.
But wait, there is more… Let me shout it from the rooftops… he’s applied to study at AUT ( Auckland University of Technology) towards a Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences Degree. And as he does not have university entrance, no NCEA Lvl 2 credits, nor is he 20 years old yet it was a bit of a wait and see if they would acknowledge his MIT work and credit him with enough points…
Whew the acceptance letter arrived last weekend and we are all so happy! Naturally I am totally proud of him. It’s amazing what Chris has achieved in the last few years, especially considering his age. So here I am with a big smile on my face, breast swelling with pride, completely enjoying my brag moment! Love you heaps and heaps Chris!

Oh yes it was also time for another Scrap the Teenz inspiration. This one was about teenz and pets. I had the perfect pictures from the end of last year when Tarryn got a puppy for her birthday. Chris is not really a ‘dog person’ but that does not matter to Cosmo. He simply adores Chris and it did not take long for Chris to fall for him either;p
I love these photos, they are so bright and full of fun!

Dont forget to check out the blog, there’s such a neat variety of LO’s to the theme.
TFL and wishing you all a great week 🙂
xx Ilka

Quick update – scrapcamp was just awesome!!! Fab job and my thanks to Lianne and Yolande! A lot of fun with Lee, the Kims, Andrea, Jackie, The Paperpesto Gals, Kelly, Lisa and too many names to mention them all. And woohoo I got to meet the lovely Shell and saw her awesome book about the backyard remodeling!!!

And woohoo it’s official now, PaperPesto has invited me and Ann to stay on as permanent Designteam Members until the end of the year! I am so chuffed about that!!! Just love their kits and the PaperPesto Gals are just such truely lovely ladies, I’m proud to be involved with them 🙂

Loved working with the kit from NZ ScrapbookStore!! Yummy BasicGrey Boxer stuff!
My gorgeous Ronja, so engrossed not realizing I’m taking photos!
One of me and my huni of course, all in style with our shades on;p
We even made it into the BasicGrey gallery;p
Another proud father daughter LO 🙂 Aren’t they just cute?

And one for fun!
There is so much new stuff in the NZ Scrapbook Store, Kaiser, Cosmos, Hot of the Press, Prima… and woohoo I am heading up there today to catch up with the lovely ladies and have lunch with the gorgeous Ann and do a little shopping. Maybe even staying on for their Prima promo evenings…
oops best get ready..
Will try catch up with your blogs over the next few evening!
Meanwhile keep dry and warm! TFL!
xx, Ilka

Hope you are all enjoying the weekend! I sure am! Rainer took me out for lunch, woohoo no cooking tonite! Now the fire is going and the sofa is calling out to me to come plonk down to watch a movie with my huni. Sheer bliss after a hectic week! But first a quick update.

The Scrap the teenz theme this month is fears/dislikes. Check out the different takes on the theme here and a big Welcome to Adrienne – our latest addition to the contribution team- great to have ya on board!
My take was inspired by Chris strong dislike of tomatoes. Not sure I am happy with the way it turned out. Plus things like stitching and the silver letters didn’t scan very well. But I had fun going crazy with the sewing machine and have some ideas for future projects.

Oh and here are the sneakies revealed: Isn’t my Ronja just beautiful!

Love it when he brings me flowers, love the way my heart skips a beat when he gives me ‘that’ look.
Love I’m still so in love after 10+ years! Sometimes I cant stop gushing, it’s still a miracle, I found my soulmate, how lucky am I?!!!

TFL and for your comments, they always bring a smile into my days!
xx Ilka

Heya there, hope you all enjoyed a great day, especially all the Mum’s out there!
My ‘baby’ is working today but this is what I saw before I left…

aww he’s such a sweet one ( ok sometimes I could also kick his butt;p)
Rainer told me this cute story about the flowers. Apparently Chris did not like the flower bunches at the florist, so he decided to pick his own flowers to make one. He said to Rainer: “‘Oh I did not like any of the flower bunches they had in the shop,… So I picked flowers to make my own bunch. I wanted a nice big bunch, thinking I splash out on some nice cool flowers. Got a big surprise when I paid for it and it turned out cheaper than the premade bunches!
I love love this story!!! Firstly how sweet- he actually designed the flowern bunch himself! Love all the white and green, just gorgeous, how special!!! And how neat for Chris to be rewarded for putting in special thought and effort! Total win win situation!
He also made me a lovely card, hehe he obviously had been to the LSS Craftee Creations. Yep this dude knows his ways around a scrap shop;p
Aww what he wrote into the card makes me all cryee and laughing at the same time! Very honest and cheeky;p So Chris!!!
‘Thank you for being there for me and supporting me and trying hard not to get mad at me. Love ya lots and lots’
*chuckles* yep indeed I try my hardest but at times this boy of mine definately makes me loose my cool, but how wonderful to see at least he ‘get’s’ that I try and maybe- even just maybe- he gets why;p
Fab news! Did you know that PaperPesto is looking for 4 kiwi guest designers? You can find all the details here. The kits are so gorgeous and the Paperpesto girls are just a joy to deal with! So what are ya waiting for? Also PaperPestos’s latest kit > A walk in the woods <is now shipping! I love this kit, so much fun to play with!

Love that goofball of mine too!
Ok, better go and chase him off the play station;p
TFL! xx Ilka

*waves to everyone* Did ya miss me? ;p
Life got a bit? hectic around here after the holiday, lots of work and other stuff.
Thanks for all your comments and emails! Much appreciated! I sure missed you!

Quick list update:

Yeppers I am a non smoker!!! !Most days I dont have any cravings at all! I am so proud 🙂 Rainer’s a non smoker too, so proud of him too!

We had a fabulous holiday with Ronja and Andy!!! The weather was sensational and I totally loved our trip to Pahia 🙂 ( photos later)

I had the MRI of my right knee, and saw the orthopedic surgeon. I’m on the waiting list ( 6 month supposedly) for a osteotomy ( knee -re-alignment to treat arthritis). Cant wait for things to change , woohoo less pain here I come!

Sadly a workmate has some bad back problems:( So I’ve been filling in her shifts at work. Not sure how long my knees can cope with all that. Gosh I’ve been soooo tired. LOL! On the plus I’ve achieved quite a bit! And the chickies at work are such sweeties!!!

The house we rent is still on the market, looked like it might sell soon but now not sure again. Time to re-think what to do or not…

I need to go to the dentist and I am sooooooo scared! Seriously dentists make me go all paranoid!

Rainer has been to Australia and back twice already since I last wrote. Looks like there are a few more trips upcoming *groans- I just dont like it when he’s gone*

Oh and a very belated thanks to 🙂 Kate 🙂 for this award. How inspiring! And something to live up to again! Just the kick start I need now!!

And last but not least here’s my latest entry for the scrap the teenz blog! The theme was fashion, dont forget to check out the other entries here!

I’ll have to do a lot of catching up on everyone’s blog and cant wait to see what you ‘ve all been up to! Might take me a few evenings!
TFL and have a great week!
xx Ilka

Scrap the Teenz blog has their new summer fun theme up and all the entries are so cool and very different, well worth checking them out imho.

Here’s my entry:

There’s something wonderful about a white background and how it sets off colours … will my love of white backgrounds ever stop I wonder?
I rediscovered a stash of lovely ribbons that went perfectly with the photos. Hmm rediscovery… had a bit? of a clean up in my scrap space – wow that’s an understatement – it looked like a few bombs exploded in there. Got to the point I had to scrap on my 12″‘x 12″ stamp pad because no surface was clear anymore… sheesh! All I know is it’s got to change, I am ready to be less messy, I’m frustrating myself with being so chaotic O.o Anyone got some good tips of how to keep things clean( er) and organzied? Any sites or books that could help me?
Had to laugh when I looked at the finished LO and realized I had not used one bit of patterned paper, just a few die cut notes , the smiley face packing tape, ribbons, stickers and felt bits. Not like I dont have ample supplies of pp’s ;p And neither does that mean I dont ‘need’ more pp’s – you all know what I mean right?

Which reminds me PaperPesto has a gorgeous kit this month aptly named Be Loved, you can find beautiful inspirational LO’s of it here and also on Ann’s blog. PaperPesto also runs a sketch challenge until Feb 16th.